Title
Recommendation to Award a Contract in the Amount of $149,000 to Alta Planning + Design for Bicycle Safety Education Programs. (Transportation 4228287)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jill Keimach, City Manager
Re: Recommendation to Award a Contract in the Amount of $149,000 to Alta Planning + Design for Bicycle Safety Education Programs
BACKGROUND
In 2014, the City of Alameda was awarded an Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 1 grant for the construction of the Jean Sweeney segment of the Cross Alameda Trail (south of Atlantic Avenue, between Constitution Way and Sherman Street). This capital grant included a small non-infrastructure component focused on bicycle safety education. The grant proposed programs that would support increased usage of the future trail segment by children attending four nearby schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels; low income students, particularly those in the west end of Alameda; and residents of all ages citywide.
The City’s proposed bicycle safety education work plan, based on the original grant application, was approved by Caltrans earlier this year, with three key tasks to be provided:
1. Bicycle safety education classes and workshops for adults, teens and families (free and open to all);
2. Bicycle safety education programs in four schools near the Cross Alameda Trail segment (Maya Lin Elementary, Haight Elementary, Wood Middle School, and Alameda Science & Technology Institute (ASTI) High School); and
3. Bicycle safety education events targeted to low-income, homeless and previously homeless students.
The programs will occur over the course of two years (July 2017 to September 2019).
The City only recently received authorization from Caltrans to utilize the grant funds dedicated to these programs. The proposed programs are intended to compliment and integrate with existing bicycle safety education programs already provided in the local schools and citywide via other programs such as the Alameda Countywide Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) program, which is managed by the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC). The City must execute a contract for these services by July 31, 2017 in order to not lose the Caltrans grant funding.
DISCUSSION
Through a competitive process in 2017, City staff issued a request for proposals on May 26, 2017 to a list of over 380 consultants that the Alameda CTC had recently used during a procurement process for their Countywide SR2S programs. Staff received just one proposal before the June 14, 2017 deadline. That proposal was from Alta Planning + Design. Given that bicycle safety education work is highly specialized and there are few providers of these services, it is not surprising that only one bid was received. The City does not believe any more proposals would be received if the project was re-bid.
The City has found that Alta Planning + Design, with sub-consultants Cycles of Change and Bike East Bay, clearly meets the City’s needs, as described in the evaluation criteria included in the RFP. The selection was based on the company’s past experience, quality and experience of key staff, understanding of work scope, cost competitiveness, and ability to meet contract requirements. The Alta Planning + Design team has provided similar services to the Countywide SR2S programs for the past six years. Alta Planning is familiar with providing these services to many agencies, including in the City of Alameda, and also have a good reputation working together as an effective team. Based on their experience working on the Alameda CTC contract, they are also familiar with federal contracting and invoicing required the City’s Caltrans grant funds.
Alta Planning + Design and its sub-consultants will operate this project out of their Oakland offices. This contract will be for just over two years, from mid-July 2017 through September 2019, and will cover two full school years. The proposal bid was just over $141,000. Staff has added an additional $8,000 in funding for any contingencies that may arise during the two plus year contract period.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This project is funded through a Caltrans grant, from Cycle 1 of the Active Transportation Program (ATP) for the Jean Sweeney segment of the Cross Alameda Trail. The grant included a non-infrastructure portion of $123,000 dedicated to bicycle safety education. The City will provide the required local match of $18,000 and the contingency amount of $8,000 from its local discretionary Measure B transportation sales tax funds that will be accounted for in the Transportation Fund Multi-Modal Projects Program (#4228287). There is no impact to the General Fund.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action does not affect the Alameda Municipal Code. Bicycle safety education programs, including for school children, support General Plan Policy 4.3.3(a): “Maintain and implement the Bicycle Master Plan with regard to physical system improvements (especially the identified priority projects), as well as programs and policies relating to encouragement, education and enforcement,” and General Plan Policy 4.4.8: “Work with AUSD to include transportation choice awareness in education in the schools.”
This program will assist in meeting the goals of the City of Alameda's Local Action Plan for Climate Protection.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant impact on the environment.
RECOMMENDATION
Award a contract in the amount of $149,000 including contingencies to Alta Planning + Design for Bicycle Safety Education Programs.
Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Ott, Base Reuse and Transportation Planning Department Director
By,
Rochelle Wheeler, Transportation Planner
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
Exhibit:
1. Alta Planning + Design Contract